Sustainability remains an attention-worthy topic within the digital media and marketing industries. However, discussions around the subject have been less frequent than in recent years.

Only two years ago, the issue of sustainability was very high on the agenda of most senior marketers. The marketplace for programmatic digital advertising generates billions of microtransactions every day which, when combined with other marketing channels, create more carbon emissions than those generated by the global aviation industry. Having discovered the impact of these emissions, the marketing industry was firmly focused on simplifying programmatic supply chains and reducing its carbon footprint as a result.

In most cases, the sustainability efforts of companies were well-intentioned and genuine. However, in their clamour to win favour with environmentally conscious consumers, some companies overplayed the green credentials and suffered a backlash as a result. False sustainability claims damage consumer trust and, ironically, often lead to increased scrutiny of corporate efforts.

While greenwashing - the practice of making misleading or exaggerated claims about environmental benefits - has been recognised as a cause for concern among marketers and consumers alike, a new trend is emerging which may explain the declining focus on sustainability.

Perhaps in response to the dangers of greenwashing claims, the pendulum has swung too far towards ‘green hushing’.

Hush now

‘Green hushing’ is where companies choose not to disclose details about their climate goals for fear of being measured and judged against them. A recent report found that one in four companies have set science-based emission reduction targets but are opting to keep quiet about them in a bid to avoid scrutiny and accusations of greenwashing.

Unfortunately, this lack of transparency can result in a reduced focus on crucial environmental issues and a diminished ability to hold companies accountable. If green hushing becomes widespread, it will make motivating some of the climate change stragglers even more challenging.

Rather than seeking refuge in silence, companies should reject green hushing in favour of striking a balance between transparency and genuine action. This transparency then builds trust among stakeholders, providing a solid foundation for honest and meaningful sustainability progress.

Instead of shouting about grand ambitions and environmental goals for years in the future, companies should concentrate on establishing clear, consistent reporting standards and focus on more frequent benchmarks and consistent, gradual progress towards their climate goals. By breaking the issue down into more manageable, measurable chunks, companies can better communicate their sustainability efforts without fear of backlash.

What’s the story?

The media and marketing industries, meanwhile, also have a big role to play in either amplifying or stifling the levels of conversation and transparency around sustainability. These industries should promote honest dialogue to ensure companies are held accountable, without punishing good-faith efforts with negative media coverage.

The media can encourage transparency by popularising the use of industry benchmarks for sustainability communications, such as Ad Net Zero’s Global Media Sustainability Framework, which has been created in collaboration with many major industry stakeholders.

Alongside the world’s largest ad holding companies, leading brand advertisers, media owners, adtech companies and ad industry bodies have made their contribution, giving the framework credibility among the people who will matter most to its success. The initial version of the framework provides formulas to help advertisers calculate the emissions associated with TV, digital and OOH campaigns, which account for more than 80% of the ad industry’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Another important point to note is that the framework is designed to help advertisers measure emissions not simply at a product or campaign level, but throughout the entire supply chain. Up until now, there has been no consistent, agreed industry-wide standard to help organisations in the media supply chain to efficiently collect and exchange emissions data.

These standards therefore provide a launch pad for better measurement and more data (and ultimately more informed reduction strategies), which can be fed back into the framework to help refine its equations and definitions in the future.

Transparency and accountability

Rather than focusing on tales of greenwashing, the marketing press can play their part by building positive narratives around the genuine progress being achieved across the industry.

The issue of sustainability is more important than ever, and strong leadership is required across industries to ensure transparency is promoted alongside progressive climate action. Accountability and collaboration between companies, regulators, and consumers will be essential to drive real progress in sustainability.

It’s crucial that the various players find their own balance between transparency and genuine commitment to climate action, ensuring that efforts toward sustainability are both honest and impactful.